Opinion Streams

Tonight’s presidential debate was McCain’s to lose, and for a while it looked as though he might not even show up. As the key topic was foreign policy, many commentators felt that Obama needed merely to demonstrate that he could hold his ground against an elder statesman. As the debate unfolded, it became clear that McCain did not “lose”. Indeed, he appeared to have a greater command of the room when the subject switched to foreign policy. McCain did, however, appear very much out of his element, and indeed nervous, during the discussion of the economy and the banking industry bailout.

What was at 1 p.m. yesterday a “fundamental agreement on a set of principles” became, by yesterday evening, a bloodbath of partisan politics, which once again took precedence over the interests of the American people. And at the center of all this mess was the heroic savior of the economy, America’s patron saint who beneficently champions the cause of “country first” – John McCain.

Whether or not you agreed with the bailout plan, you have to ask yourself – since we are in the middle of a (allegedly suspended) presidential campaign where one candidate valiantly stated that he’d put securing a swift resolution of the sudden economic crisis ahead of getting elected – why the “fundamental agreement” fell apart.

This week marked the demise of Lehman Brothers Holdings and Merrill Lynch (as a separate entity), formerly among the biggest financial institutions in the U.S. A.I.G., the nation’s largest insurer, which insures inter-bank loans, had to be bailed out by the Fed to the tune of $85 billion. Had A.I.G. went under, the resulting bankruptcy domino effect among other banks would have been staggering. It is becoming increasingly clear that we are on the brink of a widespread economic collapse.

Nevertheless, John McCain, who earlier admitted that he doesn’t really understand economics, continues to think that the fundamentals of the economy are strong.

Sarah Palin said a lot of interesting things during her interview with Charles Gibson last week, not the least of which were her extraordinary fumble on Gibson’s question regarding the Bush Doctrine and her inability – after three tries – to be able to enunciate one way in which McCain/Palin would change Bush’s economic policies. But America should pay very close attention to her vision of U.S. foreign policy toward Russia under a McCain Administration.

I earlier discussed how John McCain’s vision of good and evil would lead this country down the path of increased military entanglements and decreased safety.

John McCain gave a pretty lifeless acceptance speech last night, at times sounding more like a presenter at an awards show than like someone running for President. After listening to McCain’s speech, it was clear that the convention belonged to Sarah Palin. This is not to say that McCain’s speech was bereft of moments. McCain particularly shined and showed his wit when he attempted to quiet overly zealous protestors (how they got into the main chamber is beyond me) by saying “Please don’t be diverted by the ground noise and the static.”

But those bored by the ho-hum, ill-paced nature of McCain’s speech may have missed perhaps the most frightening indication of what a McCain presidency would mean for the American people.

Gov. Sarah Palin (pronounced “pay-len” for those that are still confused) used her speech yesterday as an attempt to show the media that it was attempting to judge her by the wrong set of accomplishments. By spending far more time hosting an “Obama roast” (without even having the decency to mention her opponent’s name), and throwing a patently deceptive spin on Obama’s platform, than discussing what she’s actually done during her “small town” political career, Palin used her speech to attempt to show the world that her ability to be vengeful, sarcastic and deceptive was her primary qualification for the job McCain hastily nominated her for.

Eleven days ago, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain stunned the country by selecting a virtual unknown as his running mate. Since then, questions have swirled about whether Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a 44 year old first-term governor with a background as a beauty pageant contestant and a local news sportscaster, and no political experience outside of Alaska, was the wisest choice for an office a heartbeat away from the Presidency of the United States.

The McCain camp has already admitted that McCain had his first face-to-face meeting with Gov. Palin only one day prior to announcing her as his running mate.